Supfina expands Quonset facility with plans to expand hiring

Supfina Machine Co. Inc., a privately held machine-tool manufacturer that operates as an independent subsidiary of Germany’s Supfina Grieshaber GmbH & Co., recently broke ground on a 21,192-square-foot, $2.6 million expansion to its facility at Quonset Business Park. More

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manufacturing

Supfina expands Quonset facility with plans to expand hiring

SUPFINA MACHINE CO. INC., a North Kingstown-based manufacturer of superfinishing machines and other tools, has begun work on a 21,000-square-foot expansion of its facility at Quonset Business Park. President and CEO Andrew Corsini said the expansion -- which will allow the company to hire approximately 25 new employees over the next few years -- is proof of Supfina's commitment to Rhode Island.

NORTH KINGSTOWN – Supfina Machine Co. Inc., a privately held machine-tool manufacturer that operates as an independent subsidiary of Germany’s Supfina Grieshaber GmbH & Co., recently broke ground on a 21,192-square-foot, $2.6 million expansion to its facility at Quonset Business Park.

The expansion, which includes the addition of a 15-ton bridge crane, will allow the company to add approximately 25 new employees over the next few years, Supfina said. The manufacturer currently employs about 45 people at its Quonset headquarters.

“Supfina has demonstrated its commitment to the North American market by taking this opportunity to expand the North Kingstown facility,” said Andrew Corsini, president and CEO of Supfina Machine Co. Inc. “Stability is important to Supfina, so the company has always had a long-term outlook for the business. This new addition proves that we’re here to stay.”

Corsini, a native Rhode Islander, is determined to keep Supfina’s headquarters in Rhode Island, even though the company’s core customer base is the auto industry in the Midwest. As part of its commitment to Rhode Island, Supfina plans to take a more active role in fostering local students’ interest in manufacturing career opportunities by supporting local robotics clubs and encouraging students to learn more than one language.

Supfina also offers paid internships to undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, and Corsini expects that the expansion of Supfina’s facility in Quonset will allow the company to expand its internship program.

“Rhode Island has an awful lot to offer from its students, both at the high school and college levels,” said Corsini, who has been in the machine-tool industry since 1985 and led Supfina since 2005. “Our continued success can only be ensured by a trained and talented workforce. We want to do our part to help educate, train and especially retrain the employees of tomorrow.”

The planned expansion project will bring Supfina’s total footprint from 31,134 square feet to more than 50,000 square feet, giving the company room to upgrade its information technology and operational systems and grow its business to $25 million in annual revenue from its current average of $12 million.

Supfina’s North American customers are primarily automotive industry manufacturers who purchase Supfina’s machines for superfinishing, a polishing process that removes all but the slightest imperfections from moving machine parts, therefore making the part run more smoothly and efficiently.

“Superfinishing touches virtually every facet of modern life – from cars to computers to even hip and knee replacements,” said Corsini. “What’s remarkable is that each superfinishing machine built here in Rhode Island is unique to the customer who ordered it. From paper to production, each machine is customized for that customer’s particular need.”

Quonset Development Corporation spokesman David Preston cited the expansion of existing companies at Quonset Business Park, including Supfina, as one of the driving forces behind the creation of 3,500 new jobs at the business park since 2005.

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